School baseball: Pope John Paul II wins Div. 4 South title

Houlihan leads Lions to title

BROCKTON — There has been a lot of chatter surrounding the strength of Pope John Paul II's baseball schedule this season, but the Lions silenced those critics on Sunday, showing they are the best Division 4 team in the region with a 3-0 win over sixth-seeded Abington in the South Sectional final.

By PHIL GARCEAU

capecodtimes.com

By PHIL GARCEAU

Posted Jun. 9, 2014 at 11:20 PM

By PHIL GARCEAU

Posted Jun. 9, 2014 at 11:20 PM

WHAT'S NEXT

It's on to the Division 4 state semifinals for the Lions. Pope John Paul II faces Lowell Catholic at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Sidell Stadium on the campus of Wheaton College in Norton.

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WHAT'S NEXT

It's on to the Division 4 state semifinals for the Lions. Pope John Paul II faces Lowell Catholic at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Sidell Stadium on the campus of Wheaton College in Norton.

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BROCKTON — There has been a lot of chatter surrounding the strength of Pope John Paul II's baseball schedule this season, but the Lions silenced those critics on Sunday, showing they are the best Division 4 team in the region with a 3-0 win over sixth-seeded Abington in the South Sectional final.

For the second straight year, the Lions took home the sectional hardware, setting up a rematch of last season's Division 4 state championship against North champion Lowell Catholic on Tuesday at Wheaton College in Norton.

With the addition of Division 4 in the West and Central regions, Tuesday's game will be for the Eastern Massachusetts title. The state championship game is Saturday.

"Even though we won the Division 4 sectionals last year, people still think of our schedule as being weak, but we control what we can control," said Pope John Paul II coach Mark Santos. "We just play who is in front of us.

"Until somebody beats us, we are Division 4 South champs," said Santos. "Coming into this game, that's what we were, and leaving, we are again."

Senior right-hander Austin Houlihan was masterful on the mound for the Lions as he utilized a sharp breaking ball to keep the Abington hitters off balance. Houlihan allowed three hits, walked none and struck out two in the complete-game effort.

Of the 21 outs recorded, 12 came via ground balls with four being weak dribblers back to the mound.

"It was mainly my curveballs, that's been my pitch all year," Houlihan said. "I usually throw it for strikes and it seemed like my fastball had a little more of a pop than usual, so it felt good today."

Santos added: "We knew this was a fastball-hitting team and we showcased his curveball to set up his fastball. He spotted it so well."

Just as the Green Wave struggled with the bats, PJP II was equally perplexed at the plate, recording just one hit in the first five innings. But thanks to a leadoff error in the bottom of the third inning, the Lions pushed across the game's first run — and the only run they would need.

Houlihan grounded to third, but Matt Whalen's throw was off the mark and Houlihan advanced to second. Two batters later, Brady Jones singled to left to give the Lions the lead.

With both pitchers settling into a groove, all signs pointed to Houlihan taking the mound in the seventh with a 1-0 lead. The first two Lion batters were retired in the bottom of the sixth, but Ben Gibson delivered an insurance policy.

The senior roped a drive to left that one-hopped the wall for a standup double, and thanks to a pair of wild pitches, scored the second run for Pope John Paul II.

Then, senior shortstop Mike Young drew a two-out walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. He came around to score on Collin Russell's RBI single to give Houlihan a three-run lead to work with in the seventh.

With the sectional crown on the line, and a larger lead to work with, Houlihan made quick work of the Green Wave in the seventh, retiring Abington in order to clinch the title.

"It didn't change our mentality, but it did change the momentum," Abington coach Steve Perakslis said of the hole his team faced in the final at-bat. "It's 3-0 instead of 1-0, but we went down swinging with three hard hit balls to end the game."

Of the four Green Wave batters who reached base in the game, only two made it past first. In the third inning, Abington threatened with runners on the corners, but Houlihan forced a weak liner to Young at shortstop to end that threat.

In the fifth, Mike Jenson made it to second on a sacrifice bunt, but was picked off by Houlihan.

"It's a great feeling," Houlihan said of the win. "It wasn't for me. It was for my parents, the team, the school."

Pope John Paul II is now 25-1 overall (but 24-0 for MIAA tournament purposes since two games against Barnstable — a win and a loss — are considered exclusionary.)

With Lowell Catholic winning on Saturday night, the Lions knew that with the win they would get another crack at the team that beat them for the state championship in 2013.

"I'm glad to see them again," Santos said. "The reason is simply that we made it that far and came so close last year."